


Get the Reach

by Arctickat



Series: No need to be faceless [2]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Other, Rickon Stark Lives, Shireen Baratheon Lives, Warging, Wargs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:34:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25589926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arctickat/pseuds/Arctickat
Summary: Arya Stark comes to parley with Willas Tyrell.The question is, what do you do with a dead woman's head?(please see the first story of this series for what happened before and other details of this alternative universe.)
Relationships: Arya Stark/Willas Tyrell, Edric "Ned" Dayne/Arya Stark
Series: No need to be faceless [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1854709
Comments: 18
Kudos: 47





	1. Chapter 1

Highgarden is ridiculously warm. Southerners are complaining it’s getting too cold but for Arya, it was like summer - North has been having deep snow for many moons already. Willas Tyrell is said to be mourning death of his siblings and father, only left with old grandmother and his mother. He comes out to parley bringing Lady Olenna along. Arya offers her hand in marriage.

“Why should Willas marry you? The North has little to offer to Highgarden.” Lady Olenna retorts.

“Oh, that’s where you are wrong my wise lady.”

Arya gestures to The Hound to unveil the caravan covered with screens, revealing the wagon full of wights.

“The North is fighting these things and if we lose, all of Westeros will overrun by them, including the Reach. Steel blades cannot kill them, they don't get tired and keep coming at you. The Others turns any dead bodies to these things. But I think you will die faster than flies when the first real snow comes anyway. If the Reach support the North, you will have more time to prepare and also we will share our furs and the secrets how to fight these monsters.”

“It still doesn’t mean he should marry you.” Queen of Thorns quips again.

“oh, that, I don’t think he has a choice. I came to collect my reward.”

Arya tosses Cersei’s head on the ground.

Willas agrees to marry her immediately.

The wights are divided to three wagons and sent to Old Town, Kings Landing and Sun Spear to alert other lords. Old Town forward it to Casterly Rock (Riverrun and Eyrie got their wagon full of wights directly from the North). The reach ships food to the North.

Highgarden prepares for the wedding.

\-----------------

Arya and Willas get closer over the common interest in horses and hawks but Willas is still a grieving man and Arya has too many secrets, it’s mutually no love match and they are fine with it. They hear the news of Daenerys Targaryen's marriage to Aegon in King’s Landing.

“I’ve heard your child is legitimized by the new queen.”

“Yes. He is a wonderful child and shall be a good lord of Starfall.”

“Why didn’t you marry Lord Dayne? Was there no love?”

“Edric’s a trusted friend and we saved each other’s life many times over. But my priority always has been the North. I had to take back my family. When I got my siblings and home back, the winter came. I am a Stark and Starks protects people in Long Winter. Edric also has duty to his people and couldn’t marry me against his liege’s wish. He was to become a new Sword of Morning.”

Ah, he couldn’t, not he wouldn’t. Prince Doran wanted to use him as a bargain dealing with the new dragons. Either for Mother of Dragons or this new Aegon, any of them would want the legendary sword by their side. Willas snorted.

“It looks like she-wolf had the first kill before any dragons.”

“I don’t care who sits on that ugly Iron Throne. Edric is a friend, Eddard is a wonderful child and they all wanted secure an heir to Starfall to make use of Edric.”

Just as Highgarden needs an heir. As soon as possible. And no one in seven kingdoms left has better bloodline than Arya Stark. Proven fertility. Too intelligent. Strong and agile. Willas blushed.

She is far too young and too full of life, too beautiful.

Watching Arya Stark riding his best sand steed, Willas Tyrell realized he is utterly besotted. Fool.

The wedding was in late evening in the Sept of Highgarden, soon proceeded to godswood at the night fall, where new saplings of wierwood trees were planted from Lady Arya's caravan. Grandmother dryly commented,

"This bride came with a caravan full of wights, a direwolf and weird trees, not a maiden's cloak."

Lords and ladies also complained it’s strange to feast first and wed after. Willas doesn’t mind, there would be no drunken bedding ceremonies. They exchanged formal vows in the name of the Seven in the Sept, even more somber vows in godswood, and retired to their bed chamber quietly.

Arya Stark is not shy at all, she promptly removed pins and flowers from her hair and shed her clothes. Willas removed his cloak and boots, his clothes one by one with nervous fingers.

Arya is leaning back on the cushions in her small clothes and looks at him calmly. There were no judgement or disgust on her face, and that relieves his nerves a bit. He hates to use both of his hands to move his lame leg but she still doesn’t show any discomfort.

“How shall we do this?”

“Ah, urm, please allow me a few moments.” He massages his leg with ointments as his nightly ritual. Arya watches him without any changes in the face. Finally, when the sharp pain calms down into dull numbness, he turns to her. “Do you mind to be seated on me?”

“Not at all. Just tell me if I’m putting too much weight on wrong place or causing you pain.”  
And she swiftly takes off her small clothes and rips off his. Before he could even get over that shock, she sits on his middle.

The sensation of THAT contact sets his body on fire. She leans down and kisses him lightly. He follows her with eager mouth and the kiss deepens. One of her hands palms him gently. If he was getting hard before, now he is fully erected in no time. She gives a few more strokes then asks:

“Do you want it now?”

All Willas could give was struggling moan. She shifts to adjust her body and starts lowering herself carefully.

He holds on to himself desperately not to come immediately - she feels too good, her body is all sinewy muscles, her skin is soft and her smell and taste and... after a few pumps he couldn't hold it any longer and comes with strangled sops. Arya somehow rolls their body together, he realizes he's on the top in the haze of euphoria, embarrassment and exhaustion. They stay still for a while then Arya slips off the bed - how does she do that- without jostling his lame leg too much. To his utter astonishment, she comes back with warm wet rags and cleans herself and his body too - he couldn't find a word to say.

She pats his head as if he's a child, "Sweet dreams." and swiftly disappears to adjusted room - the room designated for the Lady of Highgarden. He realizes Arya Stark is The Lady of Highgarden now.

\-------------

\- secure years of winter food and extra swords, of course...!  
Arya is a very practical girl. She can't let the North starve, needs to avenge her parents and Cersei conveniently provides her the golden opportunity. What happens to her hardened heart, we shall wait and see...

This fic is for my own amusement - an experiment to see how Arya could save the day without becoming a faceless assassin. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya's life continues as the Lady of Highgarden.

Willas is relieved to finish off the business of grandmother's funeral. Around the same time as his son's tenth months, the infamous Queen of Thorns started withering seriously. His son, beautiful and strong Garth, just became one year old when grandmother drew her last breath. The loss was heavy but it was also an expected one. They had months of time to say farewell, enjoy together growing of his infant son, the long-waited heir of Highdargen. In the months of greiving, the new lady of Highgarden took charge of the household. She is so blunt and sharp with high-borns and kind and friendly with low-borns. She also rides like a horse herself, cross swords like a warrior and reviews the house account herself faster than any maesters. And she is the most attentive mother. She never misses any development of their son.

Garth is currently being visited by his half-brother, three and half years old Eddard Dayne. His father, the new Sword of Morning is off to fight the Others in the North alongside their new liege Danearys Targaryen. When they arrived to the North, Rickon Stark came South with the new heir of Starfall and made detour for the boy to meet his mother and new brother. The North is nearly cut off from the other parts of Westeros by severe snow and cold that even start freezing the sea. Arya made her last trip to the Neck before the North was closed, while she was pregnant with Garth. All the men and arms in the Reach couldn't stop their liege lady leaving the Reach with her heavy belly. Willas was furious, but also realized he had no power over his wife - she could slip out no matter what, her mysterious ways to do impossible things, and he was helpless. When she came back almost ready to give birth, with battle scars and tangled hair, but in perfectly healthy state of late pregnancy, he had to forgive her. She was so radiant, in pale winter sun, strong and determined and ready to burst with his babe. His lady wife, beautiful, willful and still mysterious Arya Stark - she lets people call her Lady Tyrell, but no one can really think of her as anything other than a Stark. Would she have been the same if she was the lady of Starfall? No doubt.

Willas avoids thinking about the new Sword of Morning whose fame has been growing sporadically over recent years. He is said to be handsome with pale hair and dark purple eyes, lean and strong, wielding the legendary sword as if it was extension of his arm. Some says he is Arthur Dayne come again, some says he is the one to lead the new Battle for the Dawn. Willas doesn't want to acknowledge such a knight had been with his wife first.

'She left him. She came to me, married me. She gave me Garth.'

It was his line of prayer he repeats to himself over and over. 

At the day break, Arya woke up from their bed - he insisted sharing bed since her return from the Neck - all throughout her last fortnight of pregnancy, and again after weaning their son - and calmly said "My brother is here."

It was one of those mysterious ways of his wife, she could tell who is coming to Highgarden and exactly when. Willas prepared himself quickly and saw his wife being jump-embraced by a small child, a much older boy and two huge direwolves at the gate via the hallway window. By the time he reached the main parlor with Garth and sit in the Lord's chair legally, the loud group busted in as one big mess of arms and legs, and paws..?

"Woof!"

Garth exclaimed happily and join the mess to claim a wolf pup. The older boy with fiery auburn hair and sparkling blue eyes node to him, 

"I am Rickon Stark. We brought Nymeria back and the pup meant for Garth." 

Then the smaller boy managed to bow to him saying "I am Eddard Dayne." 

Willas noticed there was a hound-size direwolf next to Eddard Dayne - he didn't see this smaller wolf and the little pup among the massive direwolves at the gate. 

"Where is Nymeria?" he blurted out the first thing came to his mouth.

"She is taking Shaggy to the woods - the big black one, he is Rickon's." His wife answered petting the silver-colored wolf next to her older son. She is looking at the child with same adoration and full of love same as the way she looks at Garth. It shocks Willas like a punch in the stomach. This boy is her son. She loves him the same as she does Garth. He faintly acknowledges Rickon Stark saying something about his wolf being wild and hungry. 

It takes a long time for him to find his voice.

"Garth, come here and show me your wolf. My lady, please show Lord Stark and Lord Dayne to their rooms, I guess they would like to have some food and bath."

Arya throws him grateful look over her shoulder leading her brother and her son out of parlor. Just then Willas notices the younger boy has light hair and long limbs, closely followed by his silver wolf.

Garth Tyrell was born with head full of dark hair and light brown eyes. His face looks so much like Loras was as an infant, mother would say weeping and grandmother would shush her in weak attempts. But as he grow out of his infancy, Willas could see Stark features in his son. Garth makes the same stubborn chin as his mother. When he's distraught, he seeks his mother and Willas wonders if that's the same face Arya used to make when she was a small child. But when he burst into laughs, he sees his younger brothers and it makes him happy and ache at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to kill off everyone but this is a crack fic... and I think in medieval world the life expectancy is supposed to be pretty short, especially those who had a lot of stress and serious physical disability. *shrug*


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Willas' life as the Lord of Highgarden, continues as husband of The Princess.

(((Note: the middle part of this chapter has sexual contents including infidelity , prostitution and other Game of Thrones-typical sexual acts (no non-con, but consensual dirty stuff... you've been warned..)))

Rickon Stark has appalling table manner. Willas' mother, nieces and other young ladies were charmed when they first saw his young good brother arriving to the dinner, but soon all got disgusted and little scared by the way he acts -especially how he eats. The handsome boy acts like a wild animal rather than a highborn lordling, drawing eyes to himself throughout the meal from all corners of the hall. Arya act as if there's nothing wrong with her brother at all - she looks at him fondly and being her attentive self with the wild boy.

The boy adores his sister and loves nephews too- in his strange way. His movements are that of prowling wolf and he speaks with a lot of unintelligible words mixed with the common tongue. After dissecting a suckling pig on center of the table with bare hands and teeth in lightning speed, he generously heaps the meat on his sister's and two nephew's plates (still with bare hands), grinning.

"The first batch of flowermen will be arriving by tomorrow morn, Bran was sure we could send them all together when we found I could hold the route long enough."

Arya perks up from helping Garth. "You did? that's great. I've invited their families and finished preparing their pension carts."

Oh. Those carts. 'Flowermen' must be the name for the Reach men sent to serve Arya's brother in North upon their marriage pact. His wife spoke of sending extra sack of grains and a sheep each to those soldiers families, but Willas didn't believe the men themselves would arrive since the King's Road was closed by the Neck and ships couldn't reach the North due to snow storms and increasing ice blocks in the sea.

Rickon Stark burps loudly and sucks off grease from his fingers. "It's so good to see you living well here with all these food. I was so pissed when Bran stopped me going to see you at the Neck last time. We fought for days."

Arya rolld her eyes. "Yes. I remember that. It was bloody. Rickon, you should not tax Bran that way. You know he has too much work."

Rickon snorts. "Oh, so I should seethe in silence like Jon does." then he says some more in foreign tongue. 

Arya swats her brother, "Don't say such things in gentle company." but he only grins wider.

Willas cleares his throat.

"So how are they coming back? and how did you come, good brother? I thought the King's road was closed at the Neck."

Rickon waves off, "Oh, we found the old way. It's underground so not getting frozen. Just has to time it right and be careful so the enemy won't know it. You will hear from your men soon enough."

Willas bites his tongue and decides to wait for a full report by his returning soldiers.

Scores and scores of battle-worn Reach men who went to the North arrived back to the main gate, till they are all filed into courtyard where hundreds of half-open tents are erected with each families waiting for them. The first batch were five hundred men but after some died in the battle and some chosen to stay in the North, about four hundreds came back and joined their families. Willas was so impressed how his wife organized this, those men are clearly tired and some injured but everything has been so perfectly ready to receive them, from arrivals and finding families, getting in line for maesters, taking turns to bath houses, enjoying the gift of the carts, ... when and how Arya organized all this? No, he has been informed of this but just didn't expected... 

He did not really believe every plan could be so well executed in reality. He also had been otherwise occupied, lately with grandma's death, but even before that, since weaning Garth.

\---------------------------

Willas Tyrell has been known as a competent lord, a good man, pious, even.

Since his injury, Willas was inclined to find deeper meanings in life and comfort in religion, and also tried hard to prove his worth in governance and politics. He couldn't afford to be impatient in ruling and administration as his father was, and his grandmother trained him with tight rein. She taught him and his siblings they would be always surrounded by lesser high-borns and low-borns seeking their favor, coins and gossips. They would be admired, fawned over but also could be manipulated into doing things in other's interest. Observe who has influence or power over whom, in which way they may be against you or be use of you, grandmother used to say. And in Reach, the Faith has always been a big influence. His own interest in religion and political gain went hand in hand in that matter.

So it came as a surprise once he visited the Oldtown just after his father and siblings left Highgarden for King's Landing, a plainly dressed young man approached him discreetly in Starry Sept. The man had pleasant face and lean build, lighted a candle next to him and whispered, "My lord Willas, do you require my service the way your brothers used to?"

Willas didn't recognized the man, but just answered, "I don't recall what my brothers' request has been, perhaps you could come with me and explain?"

Willas was astonished to find out the man was a male courtesan who ran a pleasure house used to 'serve' Garlan and Loras time to time, and to his absolute dismay, it had been his grandfather who brought them to be in such arrangement.

The heir of Highgarden bursted into Lord Hightower's solar with shaky breath. The Voice of Oldtown and Defender of the Citadel was absolutely unperturbed. 

"Ah, the boy from Sleek Seals. Your uncle, the Gross one, brought their service to my awareness a long time ago. Ever since, their establishment has been proved to be trustworthy. They are good at being hidden and at training both women and boys, small and discreet."

"But grandfather, a man-whore? If the Starry Sept gets a wind of this..."

"There is no witness nor proof. And believe me when I say a catamite is better than a serving wench, he will never darken your doorstep with a bastard."

Willas had no word to respond.

There has been no shortage of female persuasion for him from early age, both highborn ladies and female servants, trying to seduce him or openly offering him sexual favors. He has been young and curious, and would enjoy kisses and have a good fill of touching girls here and there. He had been well-mannered and never openly groped anyone, but for the heir of Highgarden, there were always someone trying to seduce him or curry his favor by sexual means whenever possible. His parents would just warn him not to make a bastard and Garlan would offer to fetch him a 'discreet service'. But Grandmother made a point by empathizing the importance of his piousness in public and Willas heartily agreed - the benefit was just too great to mess up. His injury and following physical hindrance made it easy for him, no longer needing to come up with excuse or avoid getting cornered by seductive woman. Willas could simply feign tiredness and his seducers would retreat.

But when his father and siblings were perished at the Great Sept of Bealor, his piousness hit the wall like an egg.

How could the Seven allow such a vile act to triumph? How could the mighty stronghold of religion collapse to such a treachery, massacring hundreds of the innocents and the devoted? How could his beloved family slaughtered by evil woman guilty of incest and infanticide? Willas was plunged into deep despair and pain, he drowned himself in wine and let go of control of his body and mind. After many days and nights of drunkenness and foggy haze of sorrow, he let one of servant woman to take him into her mouth. Once it happened, it became a part of his reoccurring drunken days. Woke up by a head-splitting hangover. Indulge heavy medicine and whatever food he could stomach. Drink some, break some ornaments or flowerpot, drink more, lose control of his body and got carried into his bed. Someone would remove his clothes and suck his cock and he would pass out in bed. Repeat the same next day and night. And the next.

One of less drunken nights, Willas found one of those female servants was in his bed fully naked. "I was married thrice m'lord, but never gotten a child. I won't get you in trouble with bastards."  
She was a bit older than himself, big-boned and plain-faced. She had broad frame and strong legs but also got surprisingly luscious breasts and flat stomach clearly unmarred by childbearing. Willas remembered she was skilled with her mouth too. He simply gave her a node and let her take care of his leg, and then his cock. After three nights with her, he learned her name was Mollina, and her strong legs could let him fuck her standing with one leg lifted, to not to tax his lame leg. But also, his weakened and under-practiced body didn't have much stamina and it was easiest for him to just lay on his back and get sucked. 

It was one of those nights he faced the same man from Oldtown in his own family's quarter. Willas was being helped by some servant after puking his innards out and Mollina was half-out of his chamber to help him in, then he saw the very same man was slipping out of his mother's chamber. In the haze of lingering taste of vomit and wine, Willas realized the man-whore must have been sent by his grandfather to attend to his mother. Then he realized Mollina must have been sent by his grandmother to console him. She was too conveniently perfect - with proven infertility and enough attractiveness, yet with strong body to aid him if needed. Hackles rose uncontrollably from deep down his spine to top of his head for unfathomable reasons. His wise, clever and resourceful paternal grandmother, shrewd and scholarly maternal grandfather - did he really know them? His ambitious father who succeeded to place his sister to be Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, his gallant knight brothers - what were they pursuing? What have they done while they were alive? What are grandpa Hightower and grandma still doing? Willas was disgusted by them, somehow felt betrayed by them, and without them, he felt utterly bereft.

\------------------------

Willas Tyrell didn't expect much when he went out to parley with Arya Stark. When she produced Cersei Lannister's head, the all-consuming sore of his soul screaming for revenge had been quelled and instantly he gave in to her demand to marry him. Yet He didn't expect any of the things followed by that fateful agreement.

Lady Arya - who insisted to be just called Arya, negotiated and instructed all the houses in the Reach for supplies and men to be sent to the North, of their numbers, quantities of goods, their logistics and timings with grandmother, while mother and Willas organized the wedding. Once they were wedded and bedded, those pact were realized in full - 2000 men were deployed in four batches over two years, from each houses but majority of them were from Oldtown (since Highgarden, Arbor and Hornhill already sent many men to King's Landing and suffered heavy losses). Arya also set up workshops for women to conserve food, process wool and craft other necessities throughout the Reach. Willas specifically instructed his steward to send all female servants from his quarter away to work for new positions outside of the main keep. 

When his son Garth, the most precious child was about to wean from his mother's milk, Willas went to his own mother. "Call for the man from Sleek Seal, mother. I require his tutelage."

\---------------

The soldiers came back from the North were battle-worn, but frantically happy to meet their families and extremely proud of themselves having fought the enemy that most of the South haven't faced yet. Many older or injured soldiers went back home with families by the third day, most of them were common folk from the city and surrounding areas of Oldtown. But their knighted leaders stayed, to report to Lord of Highgarden, and, Willas noticed, to The Princess.

These men are totally devoted to his wife. They call her Princess, look at her with absolute loyalty and awe. They also show her wild good brother, more-wolf-than-a-lordling Rickon Stark with hundred times more respect than they do towards Willas.

——————

_This fic is for my own amusement - an experiment to see how Arya could save the day without becoming a faceless assassin._


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wanted this chapter to be the last of "Get the Reach", but alas, there will be one more to come... This chapter has the narrator's name on the top of the each parts, to make things clearer...

**Eddard**

Ned was having so much fun. He has a little brother, who’s always laughing, eager to show him around and share sweet fruits.

-I have a pack mate! Yeepeee!

Sans answered - Of course sweetling, you have many packmates.

-No San, not the big ones. Gar and me. We are the small pack. We are really fun ones.

Rickon cut in - Are you saying we big ones are the boring ones, hmmm?

-You could be counted as one of us, Rick...but then I won’t call you Nuncle.

Mamma and Garth busted into laughter - Of course, that’s only fair.

Nuncle Rickon grumbled in old tongue and Ned could hear Bran and Ghost quietly snickering too. Ahhhh I love my pack.

\-----

**Willas**

Willas was going through some correspondence in his solar when Garth busted in.

“Pappa, Pappa! Come! Come! Look Mamma!”

They followed the cheers and shouts of men to the training yard. When they arrived to the overlooking balcony, Willas was not quite sure what he was looking at for a while.

His lady wife, no his worrier wife, with a skinny Braavosi blade in one hand and a slim bastard blade in the other, was flying. Her brother, no a wild wolf, was attacking his sister with crude but wicked looking battle axes in each hands, with such a ferocity Willas was sure many young boys in the crowd were terrified. Arya was so fast - it was all swirls of steel and sound of clangs and swishes, Rickon was fierce, had his lips curled back, baring his full teeth and all growls and snarls.

After unimaginable display of flashes and swishes, Arya forced Rickon’s left arm to drop the axe, and kicked him on the thigh to fall to the ground, but that movement made her lose her bastard blade too. Both came back up on their feet in lightning speed, now swishing only one blade each. When Arya faked a turn after complicated jabbing movements, Rickon lost his remaining axe, then jumped on his sister with bare hands and teeth. For a second, Willas feared he might lose his wife. But Arya was laughing, rolling away from her brother’s grip on the ground, coming up to her both feet again in one graceful arc, and kneed him on his back squarely. “Yield!”

Rickon was thrashing and flailing as much as one could on the ground, but men around them were clapping, whistling and shouting “Princess!” , “Lady Arya!” 

Eddard Dayne came with water skins for his mother and uncle, earning a playful wrestle on the ground from the latter, which Garth joined without any hesitation. Three boys rolled on the ground like wolflings, all laughing and shouting, while surrounding men – including Willas himself, were looking at Arya with their jaws hanging. Willas has seen his wife wielding her swords countless times, often training anyone who wanted to learn, and he knew her quick and gracious movements. But she had never showed fighting in such unreserved style before - it was a frightening sight. And what fright him more- was how the people were looking at his wife. Those who came back from North, they looked like they’d seen such display before, looked proud and joyous, while those who never went to North, looked shocked and scared. It ended with Garth and Eddard riding Rickon’s back and stirring him to go to their mother and admit his defeat. Rickon retaliated with tickling attacks on the boys, which ensued shrieks and giggles from his nephews, all on the ground again. Willas felt a pang of jealousy.

Then Ser Alester Oakheart, the sixth son of Lady Oakheart and one of the knights of the Flowermen, touched his arm –when did he came next to me? - and said in awe, “We are truly blessed to have The Princess, my lord. Please make us more heirs, we need more wolves in the Reach.”

The knight was not even looking at Willas, seemingly unable to remove his gaze from the wolflings. Willas was so surprised to hear such words from a knight in his service, no less from the men who hardly spoken to him for many years of their acquaintance. Ser Alester was looking at the boys and Arya with fervor Willas had been seeing too often from those Flowermen.

\---------------------

**Arya**

Arya knew it was time for the pack to go separate ways... both Rickon and Eddard had duties to fulfill. She just want to prolong this time as much as possible, savoring every minute of having her sons and brother together. She heard a few in the house commented how she was disrespecting Willas by hosting her bastard son. No one could say it in front of her, but she knew Eddard’s presence and Rickon’s lack of manners are much in the gossips. Her mind was a big jumbled tangle of plans.

‘Rickon wouldn’t take it well being left behind. I could arrange for him to depart first. A welcome party from Storm’s End could come and fetch him… None of them would take it well either way. They are too young… They have to train their third eyes. There’s not much time before the enemy descends...'

Arya wanted lash out to the Three Eyed Raven - what do you know of a mother’s heart, brother? But bit her tongue. It was not Bran’s choice, but the enemy forcing their hands. She let go of the little weirwood she was touching. Arya felt the heavy loss of Jon again, who paid his new life with his wolf-bond when he was resurrected by the Red Priestess. Ghost’s silent and stable presence is ever keenly tuned to the rest of the pack, as if he’s trying to do Jon’s share of caring for his pack mates.

-Ghost, please take care of Jon.

\----------------

**Willas**

Willas Tyrell faintly remembered how Prince Rhaegar Targaryen looked like, from the tourney at Harrenhal, when he was only seven years old. He forgot how much the beautiful and gallant prince impressed him, till now when he came to face-to-face with his new liege, Daenerys Targaryen.

Daenerys Targaryen, First of her name, arrived one day with terrible screech of beast and flapping of wings Willas never heard before. Dragons! One huge black one, and smaller white one, landed just outside of the castle. The terrifying beasts fumed double steams of fire into the air. If not for his wife’s warning a few hours earlier, Willas was sure the people inside High Garden, including himself, would have wet themselves.

The dragon queen was a stunning beauty, all in her silver-haired, purple-eyed glory. She carried a handful of unsullied soldiers and Tyrion Lannister between those two dragons. Willas came up to stand from bowing low with shaky knees, wondering what have caused their new liege’s wrath.

“You knew it.” The queen hissed at his wife the moment she came to face-to-face with Arya.

Arya replied calmly, “It was not my place to do anything with secret of royal lineage, your grace.”

“I am fighting the dead things in the freezing ice and you sit here with the secret, food and comfort!”

“As your loyal subject should do. I have been procuring food and material for your army, your grace. For the whole country. The Reach and Riverlands have been producing food and manufacturing goods for your army, training and sending men to your command. We are working to provide the country throughout the long winter. ”

The queen gritted her teeth, “Show me.”

They adjourned to Willas’ solar where Tyrion Lannister went through the record books and ledgers and ask questions.

“Why did you import food from the Neck and livestock from the Vale to the Reach, my lady?”

“Those are tubers and root vegetables rarely grown in South. As the climate grow colder, soon our typical grains and vegetables would not grow. We needed to import those for colder climate as seed- starters. Same reason for the sheep and mountain goats, my lord. We need those animals with shaggy hair in the South. The Reach has to get ready for the Long Nights to come.”

Willas realized the new Lady of Highgarden somehow transformed his family's power of seat into a huge network of workshops, producing things that Reach used to make so little of, without many of the lords even noticing how significant these changes were. The increasingly cold climate was nothing the Reachmen were used to, but their new Northern lady arranged excessive leathers from the North to be sent to the Reach, had demanded them to weave fleeces than linens, grow root vegetables than flowers - given them instructions, material and means. Not only she had wed Willas and given birth to his heir- he realized Arya enabled and taught the Reachmen how to prepare for winter even before they realized it. For the first time in his life, Willas suddenly understood the true meaning of 'Winter is Coming'.

“This is truly impressive work you started here, my lady.” Lannister chirped, and sent a significant look to Daenerys.

“It’s the same Sansa has been doing in Vale, as well as the Baratheons in Stormlands. We are doing our duties for our Queen and country.”

“You Starks are liars!” Daenerys yelled.

Arya took a few breath in silence, looked up at the queen, into her purple eyes straight and said,

“Robert laughed when Tywin Lannister presented the dead body of Targaryen children. My father protected Jon from them with his life. Stannis let the Red priestess to burn his bastard nephew Edric Storm alive. Gendry was hunted down like a dog by Cersei due to his loyal blood. Bastard or not, royal blood is not something one could boast, your grace. Jon may have Targaryen blood, but also has Stark blood and we protect our family. Robb made him the King in the North. I was not going to take him away from his inheritance.”

“He is not a Stark! He is a dragon. His duty is to me and the Seven Kingdoms, not bound to the North. He is of my house and my blood, Rhaegal choosing him as a rider proves that! The frigid North is not a place for dragon. They shall have you instead!!”

Arya just stared the queen. Daenerys drew herself up in full height in the manner of a sand snake before striking its prey,

“I, Daenerys Targaryen, Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, hereby banish Arya Stark and her siblings to the North. The moment any of you are found below the Neck, Winterfell shall be burnt down to ground by Drogon. The moment you interfere with my family matters again, Dragonstone shall stop sending dragonglass to the North. If you ever take what’s mine again, all the food and material of Seven Kingdoms shall cease to reach the North!”

Ser Alester Oakheart, one of the knights of the Flowermen, got on his knees and begged,

“Have mercy, my Queen, young Lord Rickon was on his way to Storm’s End. The magic in Storm’s End…”

“I AM AWARE OF THAT! Stormlands would make a do with the old Stark bastard.”

It was THAT moment his stoic wife lost color in her face.

“Oh, yes, I am aware of that hidden woman in Blackhaven. The bastard daughter of Branda Rogers, has been living as a wife of old castellan. What was her name, Tyrion?”

“Berena Storm, your grace.”

“Yes. The bastard she-wolf who raised Arya Thousand Wolves. Throw her into the dungeon of Storm’s End. As long as the Baratheons keep that woman alive, the old pact between our houses would be satisfied. Now leave! If you want your sons to live!” Dragon queen snarled.

Later Tyron Lannister informed them the queen generously agreed that Arya and Rickon could travel to Starfall to deliver their new child lord to the Dornish house in person. Then the Stark siblings were to take a ship from there to as much as north they could reach by sea, and continue their journey without staying anywhere below the Neck.

Arya and Rickon left with Shaggydog, Eddard Dayne and Silver Star, when flour-light snow started thickening in the Reach. 

The Queen flew on dragon's back just the way she came, and the royal decree of Jon Targaryen's legitimization arrived soon after.

A moon later, Willas got a raven that the North declared Arya Stark The Queen in the North. The Vale and Reach kept their silence in the loss of their liege ladies. Willas slept in his son's bed with Garth, Nymeria and Woof ever since his wife was banished.

——————

_This fic is for my own amusement - an experiment to see how Arya could save the day without becoming a faceless assassin._


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> more details of the last day and thereafter, Willas POV

Willas was working hard. The second batch of Flowermen came back and were received much the same as the first ones (the leaders of first ones made sure the welcome they got from the Princess to be repeated of course), providing the Reach more men with knowledge and skills of surviving winter and how to fight wights. Once again, most of them went back to their hometowns and villages and spread the “Northern wisdom”. They came with fresh battle stories of the Long Night, which now reached most of the Riverlands, Vale and northern Westerlands. Rumors said Tyrion Lannister had to visit the North and begged his former wife Sansa Stark, to secure similar scheme as Flowermen for Westerlands.

The queen, her consort Aegon and their ‘heir’ Jon Targaryen were fighting for both the western and eastern costs south of the Neck, but recently even King’s Landing was no stranger to wight attacks. Even Braavos and Lorath said to be asking for help, some said the Iron Bank offered the Queen total release of debts in exchange of dragonglass and battle aid of her dragons.

Willas was trying hard not to think about his wife, how she used to go by her days in this keep, in the training yard, in the family quarters, until her last day in Highgarden…

\----------------

Willas came to his lady’s room where Rickon Stark was being restrained, and Arya was holding Garth and Eddard Dayne in each arms. Her belongings were spread around the room, clearly interrupted in mid-packing.

“Let me fight the Queen! She can’t separate our pack! She has no rights, ahhhh!!!”

Arya calmly looked down at her brother, as he was getting subdued by their household knights.

“You knew the pack was going to separate ways, Rick.”

“Jon is a wolf! Jon is ours!”

Arya sat down on the floor next to Rickon’s head, still clutching her sons,

“Jon couldn’t hold back bonding with the dragon any longer. The enemies would have breached the East Watch by the Sea. The North needed his dragon and you know it, little brother.”

“Let the South have the dragons! Let the South have the queen! I want us all in the North!”

“Rick. You know Ned has to be in Starfall, and Garth in the Reach. Bran said-“

“I don’t care what Bran says!” Finally that snapped Arya to grab Rickon’s scruff and pull him up to half-sitting in mid rant. Arya snarled into Rickon’s face,

“I want us all together, Rick, more than anything, more than my life! But you know the enemy don’t care for any of that either! If we abandon the South, all this people will be dead and their dead bodies will march to the North! Do you want Ned and Garth to meet their fathers as walking corpses? Do you want to tell Ser Davos, Beric and uncle Edmund that we are going to give away their families to the Others?”

Both of their faces were red, tears gathering, but they didn’t even blink, just staring at each other identically clenched teeth bared.

Arya sighed and released her grip on Rickon.

“Daenerys is not our enemy, little brother.”

“But she’s punishing you for noth-“

“She can’t harm us, not really. She needs us as much as we need her, she knows that. She’s angry about it, just like you are angry about that too.”

Garth and Eddard Dayne attached themselves to Rickon and the boys all clung together, heaving heavy breath on the floor. The knights left them quietly to give the family privacy.

Willas finally found his voice,

“Is that what happened? A dragon took Jon Snow as a rider?”

Arya looked stricken.

“Yes. Jon is son of our aunt Lyanna and prince Rhaeger. Father had hidden the truth and none of us knew it until recently. Once we found out, we feared for Jon… how the queen and her other nephew would react... North was already fighting the Others and we didn’t want the Targaryens to see him as a contender for the Iron throne.”

Willas understood, at least that point. He would have done anything to keep his siblings alive. But what was he going to do now, when the Queen was sending his wife away? Away from the Reach, him and Garth?

“At least she sees your brother- I mean cousin- as a family, not a threat.” Willas started babbling, “She is said to be keen on reviving her family bonds, the way she forgave the Baratheons..”

Oh, that reminded him: “What was that about Storm’s End?”

His wife answered resigned,

“There’s old magic in Storm’s End. The Starks and the Durrandons made a pact, and Bran the Builder built the castle with the same magic as he did for Winterfell. When the Others come, a Stark would come and hold up the keep and the old route for the Storm King. We thought Rickon would go to Storm’s End once he visited me in the Reach and delivered Eddard to Starfall. That way the South would have enough defense against the enemy and could keep on fighting for the living.”

Willas’ knees went weak.

Old magic. Upheld by Stark blood. Now they won’t have neither Rickon nor Arya in the south.

Panic rose inside him.

Arya held both of his hands.

“Willas, promise me you will work together with Starfall and Storm’s End. Nymeria will help Garth and Ned…”

Willas bursted into a manic half-laugh, half-cough,

“Ha! Ha, how? Nymeria is a wolf! Eddard is a child! Arya, I can’t..”

Arya grabbed his face and forced him to look at her eyes, “Listen to me, husband! Winter is here! Rickon was as young as Ned when he got separated from family. Ned was as young as Garth when I left him at Winterfell for the Reach! Bran and Jon raised him, and later with Nymeria. I never wanted to leave him but I had to get the Reach! Otherwise the North will starve and the South will fall - all the living will turn to wights and come to kill Eddard, Rickon, Bran and Sansa! I had to get the Reach, for my son, for my family and the North!”

His fierce wife was crying in full.

“You will raise Garth with Nymeria and Ned, Willas- you know you are a wonderful father. You will get help from your mother and the Flowermen too.”

Willas was weeping so hard he couldn’t see his wife, only could hear her telling him,

“When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives. Willas, we are a pack, and the old magic will help us. I know you don’t understand it now, but you will see soon, when Garth is old enough to explain to you... please trust us.”

\-------------

**Notes:**

OK, this is the end of “Get the Reach”.

I had to write chapter 3-5 in much different styles than the beginning this series, to provide enough details of my crazy plot. I was supposed to include more details of Willas-Arya relationship (ex, what and how Willas was occupied since weaning of Garth?) but just didn’t find the right place to include those parts. I apologize writing that detail as a foot note here: Arya made a warm pool that enabled Willas’ physical training (swimming with baby Garth -> eventually his own aquatic fitness training to improve his condition, and more, ha ha). As it needed to be written about underground heating system, architecture of water ways etc., that just was too much information and boring to write in full. I was also mean to write more smuts but ran out of stamina myself.

There are many elements of Arya's banishment (and what other characters are up to) left out of this story - those will be revealed in the next stories of this series. The elephant in the room, Arya’s years at Blackhaven will be included along the way.

The next story will also have a little bit of Willas. I initially planned the series to have one main relationships per story, but it looks like my plot is trickier in writing than in my head to keep things clean-cut, story by story. So some stories will just have to be messy. Thanks for reading and giving feedbacks!


End file.
